Hardware Desktop PC build for under $600, please help me

Irastris · Jun 9, 2015

Hello GBAtemp users, I'm writing today for help with a budget build mostly for using the Dolphin emulator (and occasional mid-range PC gaming).

I know very little about PC building, so I literally need help for everything, so that I get the best bang for my buck.

All I can be sure about is that I want to use the Cooler Master N200 (or the N400 if necessary) case, and I don't really care about 1080p, 1366x768 is fine for me.

Thanks to any kind people that can help me.

Deleted User · Jun 9, 2015

If you're doing it mostly for Dolphin I would recommend getting a Wii for like $50 and have better compatibility than Dolphin.
Since you live in America I imagine getting Wii and GC games shouldn't be too hard/expensive. You can play backups on homebrew too.

raystriker · Jun 9, 2015

Do you want just the cpu or do you want a whole system within the 600 dollars?

Because even at 600 usd, I doubt you'll be able to touch the Dolphin recommended specs and also do midrange gaming.

Duo8 · Jun 9, 2015

Get anything you want/need, just make sure you get an i5 or better and a decent mid-range GPU.

Irastris · Jun 9, 2015

Snugglevixen said:
If you're doing it mostly for Dolphin I would recommend getting a Wii for like $50 and have better compatibility than Dolphin.
Since you live in America I imagine getting Wii and GC games shouldn't be too hard/expensive. You can play backups on homebrew too.

I have a homebrewed Wii (currently playing through Sonic Colors for the 5th time), but as I'm sure most people know, blowing 640x480 to a 1080p television is god awful, thus why I want to make a Dolphin build

raystriker said:
Do you want just the cpu or do you want a whole system within the 600 dollars?

Because even at 600 usd, I doubt you'll be able to touch the Dolphin recommended specs and also do midrange gaming.

The whole system, and as for the midrange gaming thing, I guess I should have clarified more. I rarely play native PC games, the most demanding I've ever run is FEZ.

raystriker · Jun 9, 2015

Duo8 · Jun 9, 2015

I'm gonna try too lol

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4570 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor ($189.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-B85M-D3H Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($69.99 @ Directron)
Memory: G.Skill Sniper Series 8GB (1 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($47.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($48.75 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 750 Ti 2GB Superclocked Video Card ($119.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Thermaltake VL80001W2Z ATX Mid Tower Case ($22.99 @ Micro Center)
Power Supply: Corsair Builder 430W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($19.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $519.69
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-06-09 09:56 EDT-0400

raystriker · Jun 9, 2015

Your config is better but with a better PSU, a monitor and the cabinet our friend wanted, you cross the 600 usd barrier way easily

Originality · Jun 10, 2015

From Ray's build, I would downgrade the motherboard to a H91. That would free up some for other parts, like upgrading the CPU to an i3-4370.

raystriker · Jun 11, 2015

What if he downgrades my proposed motherboard and uses the money saved for a better graphics card? Like instead of the R7 260x, he can opt for the R9 270X ti or something. Won't gaming performance be better with a better gfx card rather than a small increment in the cpu?
What do you think? @Originality

Duo8 · Jun 11, 2015

If you're gonna get an i3 might as well get a Pentium and overclock it.

jonthedit · Jun 11, 2015

I would go for a i5-3570K for the CPU.
As for the motherboard STAY AWAY FROM ASROCK if you constantly transfer things via USB. Their "USB 3.0s" are like USB 1.0s. From my experience with ASRock, they give you what you pay for, and they always give you a shit USB experience. Other than that if you don't care, the boards last and are stable.

Duo8 · Jun 11, 2015

jonthedit said:
I would go for a i5-3570K for the CPU.
As for the motherboard STAY AWAY FROM ASROCK if you constantly transfer things via USB. Their "USB 3.0s" are like USB 1.0s. From my experience with ASRock, they give you what you pay for, and they always give you a shit USB experience. Other than that if you don't care, the boards last and are stable.

Might as well a i5 2500K

Kioku · Jun 11, 2015

Duo8 said:
Might as well a i5 2500K

No.

He wants to run dolphin. Haswell is the way to go here. Even if it's the pentium. The thing about that is that it doesn't offer much for mid range gaming performance.

Also, I'd go asus or asrock for mobo. My experience with their hardware has been better than the likes of MSI or gigabyte.

raystriker · Jun 11, 2015

I guess it comes down to personal preference.

Dolphin needs 2 cores, so i guess an i3 or an overclocked Pentium should be enough (if you're on a shoestring budget)

Duo8 · Jun 11, 2015

Mchief298 said:
No.

He wants to run dolphin. Haswell is the way to go here. Even if it's the pentium. The thing about that is that it doesn't offer much for mid range gaming performance.

Also, I'd go asus or asrock for mobo. My experience with their hardware has been better than the likes of MSI or gigabyte.

2500K is like, the legendary all-purpose unlocked CPU.
Either get the latest one to future-proof when you need to upgrade or use a decent old one.

raystriker said:
I guess it comes down to personal preference.

Dolphin needs 2 cores, so i guess an i3 or an overclocked Pentium should be enough (if you're on a shoestring budget)

A Pentium overclocked to 4.2 is probably better than most if not all i3.

Originality · Jun 14, 2015

To get a motherboard capable of overclocking a Pentium, you probably need a Z98 motherboard and better cooling. In a budget build, I'm not sure you can fit that in.

@raystriker, I'm not sure with dolphin but I don't think the graphics card helps much with emulation. I thought the clock speed was one of the most important parts to consider (it definitely is for PS2 emulation).

Duo8 · Jun 14, 2015

Originality said:
To get a motherboard capable of overclocking a Pentium, you probably need a Z98 motherboard and better cooling. In a budget build, I'm not sure you can fit that in.

@raystriker, I'm not sure with dolphin but I don't think the graphics card helps much with emulation. I thought the clock speed was one of the most important parts to consider (it definitely is for PS2 emulation).

Some cheaper boards can overclock. Mine is a B85 and it can.

Kioku · Jun 14, 2015

Originality said:
To get a motherboard capable of overclocking a Pentium, you probably need a Z98 motherboard and better cooling. In a budget build, I'm not sure you can fit that in.

@raystriker, I'm not sure with dolphin but I don't think the graphics card helps much with emulation. I thought the clock speed was one of the most important parts to consider (it definitely is for PS2 emulation).

The pentium does not need a z87/97 board to overclock. An h81 board would do just fine.

Hardware Desktop PC build for under $600, please help me

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